


Let Us Dance Forever

by RavenAlyssa



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Magic, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dancing, Eventual Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Fairy Yuri Plisetsky, First Dance, First Fanfiction, Forbidden Forest, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Magical Creatures, POV Otabek Altin, Possible Character Death, Prince Otabek Altin, Russian Mythology, Young Yuri Plisetsky, Yuri on Ice AU, otabek altin is lonely, young otabek altin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 15:04:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9907991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenAlyssa/pseuds/RavenAlyssa
Summary: "Otabek hurried down the dimly-lit hallways of the fourth floor, his footsteps echoing on the marble. The servants, as usual, didn’t acknowledge him, only turning their backs as he passed.He might as well have been invisible."Otabek Altin is lonely and bored. He's sick of waiting for something to happen, so he decides to make something happen himself. He decides to go into the (forbidden) forest alone.But something feels strange, and Otabek is tempted to turn back -- until he hears a voice like none he's heard before.OROtabek finds a dance partner. But is he really cut out for dancing?





	1. Otabek

**Author's Note:**

> Otabek - 12 years old; nobility  
> Yuri - 9 years old; fairy  
> Idenka - 15 years old  
> Atasi - Yuri's name for his grandfather and teacher  
> Pan Talimgar - Pan means Sir/Mr.
> 
> The viln (plural of vili) are mostly based on the Russian mythological vila, which are female fairy-like elves who seduce men.
> 
> This is my first fanfiction published here!!! I hope you like it :)

He had nothing to do, nowhere to go.

          Otabek stared out the window at the gardener four stories below him. The man was crouched at a row of vines, hacking the earth with a small spade. He hadn’t moved much in the past five minutes.

          Usually, Otabek’s older sister would be around to play with. Even if she were busy, she’d let him stay with her and talk to her. But she was away looking for a suitor with their parents. Idenka, with her long ebony hair and soft brown eyes, and the smile that told of mischief -- any man would be lucky to wed her. At least, that’s what Otabek told himself. Truthfully, he didn’t want to lose her. She was the only friend he’d ever had. But at least there was another year before she turned sixteen and came of age to marry the chosen suitor.

          The gardener stood up slowly and hobbled into his small cottage -- part garden shed, and part home. Otabek’s eyes slipped up to the forest, separated from the garden wall only by a couple hundred feet. He’d never been in there, though he’d been to the edge multiple times. The forest was unexplored, thick with dangerous plants and animals. It was a shadow on the edge of their property -- a blight, his parents said -- and as the sole heir to the Altin inheritance, he was to stay out of danger.

          Otabek tugged at his hair, wishing his tutor was there. He had taught Otabek for seven years, since the boy was five. But when his parents found out that Pan Talimgar was teaching not only math and science, but the history of Old Magic as well, they were furious. Their son was not to waste his time learning fictional things. They quickly found a tutor more to their liking. He would arrive in a couple of days -- until then, Otabek had nothing to do.

          Outside, a burst of leaves swirled upward in the wind, throwing themselves against the wall of the mansion. Otabek stood from the window seat and grabbed his coat from his wardrobe. There was nothing better to do inside, and it was still morning -- if he packed a quick lunch, he could go out to his hideaway at the furthest corner of the land.

          Otabek hurried down the dimly-lit hallways of the fourth floor, his footsteps echoing on the marble. The servants, as usual, didn’t acknowledge him, only turning their backs as he passed.

          He might as well have been invisible.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Otabek bent his head against the wind. The path to the kitchen house was covered, and it wasn’t long, but even so, it couldn’t keep the cold out.

          The kitchen was silent and empty. Otabek peeked into each of the rooms, even venturing to the top of the stairs to check the living quarters, but no one was there. Without the cook, there was no way to get into the cellar... he’d just have to manage with sweetbread and a couple apples. He wrapped the food in a cloth, grabbed an empty flask, and filled it from the well outside. Now that the wind had died down, the air wasn’t actually so cold.

          Otabek set off across the yard. The only movement was the slight rustle of the leaves in the trees. He could hear his footsteps on the dry grass. Everything felt… empty. The house was empty, the yards were empty. The sky was gray and lifeless. It was as if the world was waiting for something to happen.

          The forest loomed in the corner of his eye, but Otabek ignored it. He crawled under the bushes that hid his hideaway. Ahead, three boulders grew from the ground, two leaning haphazardly against each other -- at least, that’s what it looked like. Otabek knew they were stable.

          He’d come here many times with Idenka, especially when he was younger. She had found it first, and shown it to him. One time, they snuck out with a couple blankets while everyone was sleeping. Idenka had helped Otabek climb up to the top of the biggest of the boulders, and together they had watched the prophecied starfall. It was said that the starfall signaled the birth of a new ruler. But their parents thought such beliefs were rubbish. Natural events had no mystical meaning. Still, the starfall was beautiful, and Otabek had thought it looked almost like magic.

          That night, Otabek had heard about magic for the first time. Idenka had heard stories from the cook’s son, and now she told Otabek tales of elves, fairies, and humans who lived underwater. She told him of monsters and witches and lost princes and secrets. “Not all magic creatures are bad,” she had said. “Even some of the bad ones, like the fey, aren’t all evil. But people have to be careful around magic, because they can’t defend themselves from it.” She laughed. “I don’t think anyone’s seen magic in a long time though. Not real magic, anyway.”

          “Do you believe in magic?” Otabek had asked.

          Idenka thought about that, then nodded solemnly. “I think it’s real.”

          When she’d finished telling her stories, Otabek had begged to hear more, but Idenka said she didn’t know any more. Yet every time after that, when they came to their hideaway, Idenka would tell him a new story. Sometimes, instead of a story, she’d describe the festivals they sometimes had in town, or the fortune tellers in the market square. Of course, she had never seen any of it personally -- all her stories came from the cook’s son. But she was such a good storyteller, it didn’t matter. And on Otabek’s eighth birthday, she had secretly given him a book of fairy tales and myths.

          Otabek had that book practically memorized now. Because no matter how many times he read the stories, there was something in them that fascinated him. Something about them seemed true, truer than the real stories Pan Talimgar sometimes gave him. So Otabek decided he would believe in magic too.

          As the years passed, Idenka had come to their hideaway less often, and Otabek adopted it as his own. He’d discovered a small cave between the two leaning boulders, and it was there that he found refuge from the world. Laying on his back, daylight filtering in from the small openings all around him, Otabek’s loneliness didn’t feel so alone. On the rock above was a collage of small red drawings -- stick figures reading, playing, riding horses… it was a diary of sorts.

          Someday he’d take Lidya here, show her his drawings, tell her the stories Idenka told him. But she was only three, and her nanny never let her out of sight.

          This place had to stay a secret between the three siblings. No one else could know about it.

          Otabek stared at the drawings. He wondered how long they’d last, and how long it would take to run out of space. A lot of the drawings were very similar -- there wasn’t much variation in Otabek’s life. He wanted something unique, something exciting, to add, but there was nothing. All he did was roam the mansion, or the gardens, or the yards. He’d only gone to town twice, even though it was only an hour’s walk away. He never met new people -- he’d never even met the guests his parents entertained on the rare occasion that they were home. Children were supposed to stay silent and out of sight.

          In stories, the children always seemed to be having some adventure. They’d meet an old witch in disguise, or find a magical object of some sort, or they’d disobey their parents and talk to strangers in the woods. Even after getting lost or being turned into a frog or something horrible, they’d usually get themselves out of the situation. Otabek wondered if he would be able to do that too -- to find a happy ending. Did people need to have adventures before they found their happy endings?

          Suddenly, Otabek wished he could have an adventure more than anything. He wanted to explore the forest.

 _It’s forbidden, though,_ he thought _. Not even Idenka has been in there. And what if something happens? There’s no one around to save me._

          But it was still morning, and he had food and water. If he didn’t go too far, he probably wouldn’t run into any animals. He’d be fine, he’d be back soon. It wasn’t a big deal. Determined, Otabek scooted out from under the rocks and headed for the woods.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Once Otabek got past the tangled bushes on the edge of the trees, there was a lot more open space than he had expected. A few trees -- those that weren’t pine trees, at least -- had not yet lost their leaves, creating a collage of colors. It was beautiful... but even here, there was silence. Didn’t silences like this usually signal something? Maybe a storm was coming. Otabek glanced up, but the sky was still just as pale and empty as before.

          The bushes, adorned with bright red berries, shook in the wind. Suddenly, something glinted in the corner of his vision. The trees shifted, wavering for such a brief second, Otabek doubted he’d even seen anything. A shiver ran down his spine, and Otabek stared hard at the branches, but nothing was there. It must have been a bird… still, Otabek felt uneasy. He turned to go -- but then he heard the voice.

          It was like nothing he’d ever heard before -- shimmery and high and clear, slipping from note to note with little rhythm. He had to see who it was. Even if it wasn’t a person, even if it was only some strange rock formation that whistled in the wind, he had to know.

          Otabek followed the voice deeper into the woods, the song washing over him, like warmth and light and hope but also full of pain and sorrow. His steps were muffled by a soft bed of pine needles. A few feet away, the ground fell into a valley. He walked over to the slope. Below him, a boy was dancing, leaves swirling about his feet. Blond hair flew around his face, and his white tunic shimmered as he moved.

          The sun came out then, and as the boy stepped into a patch of light, something flickered at his back. Otabek’s breath caught in his throat.

          Wings.

          They were almost completely transparent -- even now, Otabek could only see the outline, illuminated by sunlight. This boy wasn’t human. He was a vili, or a pèrl -- Otabek didn’t know much about them, besides that they were elven-like fairies that lived in forests. They were rare, even in storybooks. But whatever he was, this one was beautiful.

          The boy spun, face uplifted, feet gliding over the ground, and opened his eyes. Otabek froze, staring into the vibrant green. The boy stared back, his song faltering, then stopping altogether.

          They stood there, neither speaking, neither moving. The sun disappeared again, and the silence had returned.

          “Who are you?” Otabek said, but his voice came out too quiet, and he wasn’t sure the boy had heard.

          “You’re human.”

          Otabek nodded, afraid to speak.

          “My name is Yuri.”

          “Otabek.” He couldn’t manage to say anything else.

          “Do you want to dance with me?” Yuri’s eyes were bright, and Otabek found himself nodding.

          Yuri started singing again, watching as Otabek slipped down the hill. The music thrummed in the air and wrapped around his heart, and Otabek started to move with it. Yuri smiled and joined him.

          Otabek had never danced before, but right now, it was as if the music were telling him how to move. He knew instinctually what to do. Even so, Yuri was much better. His body was flexible in a way Otabek knew he’d never be, and there was no way he could ever move so gracefully. He was lucky to be able to see such beauty.

          Otabek found himself smiling. He felt like he’d actually made a friend. And dancing like this was fun -- he could do it for hours. Yuri’s silken voice wove through the air, swelling in waves. His eyes met with Otabek’s for a brief second before they both spun away. The smaller boy was smiling too, his wings catching in what little sunlight filtered through the leaves above.

          For the first time in a long time, Otabek felt free. It was like the music had searched out all the holes in his heart and filled them up.

          After a while, Otabek noticed a heaviness spreading through his muscles. He must be getting tired… still, he wasn’t ready to stop. Even if it hurt, Otabek could dance through it, as Yuri was doing. He was so lucky to dance with such a beautiful person, so lucky to dance to such a beautiful song.

          “How long do you normally dance?” he asked.

          “Atasi has me practice hours every day. He says I could be the best vili alive, but I can’t be that unless I practice.” Somehow, the song continued even while Yuri spoke. “I’ve never danced with someone else before, though.”

          Hours… the viln must not tire easily. Otabek wondered how long they had been dancing. He was tired, but his movements seemed as smooth as ever, the music pulling him along at the same pace as before. He felt like he could dance for forever.

          Then, for a moment, the world turned black and Otabek slipped out of the music. He was falling -- and then his vision came back, along with every ache and pain in his body. The music pulled him up again, before he’d even touched the ground.

 

~ ~ ~

 

He couldn’t stop. He tried to stop, many times. But the music kept pulling him along, and he couldn’t stop.

          His muscles burned. His heart was in his throat, swallowing his chest. Why had he come here? His feet hurt, a dull ache shooting through them whenever he landed another jump. He could feel his veins pulsing in his neck. Every breath caught in his throat. When would they stop? He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. Why was he here? Where had he come from? He wanted to go home. He wanted to stop. Where was home? He shivered. The wind plastered his soaked shirt against his skin. And he kept moving.

          The world was blurry. Where was Yuri? His cheeks were wet. He was hungry. He had brought food, hadn’t he? Where was it, why hadn’t he eaten it? When would they stop? He wanted to stop. His tongue was thick and dry in his mouth. There were black dots swarming in the corners of his eyes, flashing in front of him. Was it getting dark? Where had the sun gone? How could Yuri dance for so long? What was happening? He couldn’t breathe. Why was Yuri doing this? He hated the vili. But Yuri was so beautiful -- he didn’t seem bad. Was he bad? Yuri was his friend. Why had he come here? He should have stayed home. Everything hurt, so much. He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t breathe anymore. His heart would explode. Would he die? He didn’t want to die. Where was Idenka? _Make it stop--_


	2. Yuri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter, the vili are based on the Russian vila, which are generally bad creatures. Atasi is training Yuri to perfect the dance/song combination that could eventually ensnare (and possibly kill??) many men. The question is, will Yuri turn out to be bad like the other viln and like his grandfather? Or will he be different...

Yuri startled at the thud. He glanced over to see Otabek laying on the ground, eyes closed. _What are you doing there?_ he thought. _You should be dancing._ He walked over to the boy. _Humans tire so easily._

          Otabek’s face was red and glistening with sweat, his dark hair plastered to his forehead and cheeks. His chest rose and fell in short, shallow bursts. For a second, Yuri wondered if Otabek was okay. But he dismissed the thought -- of course he was okay. He was breathing, wasn’t he?

          Yuri knelt at Otabek’s head and started singing again. It had been fun, dancing with someone else. He wanted to do it again. But the only movement from Otabek was the twitch of his hand.

          Yuri sighed and laid down next to Otabek. Was this what Atasi had been talking about, when he said that someday he’d be old enough to dance with humans? Was this normal? He decided to ask him later.

          There was a strange happiness swelling in Yuri’s chest. He had danced with a human, and the human had enjoyed it. The human had liked his song, and had danced to it, even though he was a horribly clumsy dancer. Maybe when the boy woke, Yuri could teach him a little.

          Yuri waited for another minute. How long did it take for humans to wake up? Finally, he stood. Otabek would wake eventually; Yuri didn’t have to wait for him. He let his song swell from his heart and his mind and his wings, and began to dance.


End file.
